When our beloved member Margaret Trainor passed away in January 2026, our club wanted to memorialize her amazing life and service. An obvious choice was to link her name to the “Suffolk Care Collaborative” being planned by Wyndham House and Family & Children's Services as Guelph's first foster care facility. The official opening of this home took place on November 10, 2026, and it pays tribute to Margaret in several ways. The opening was attended by Margaret's family and many Rotarians.
Margaret (Maggie) Whittaker, the widow of our late member Charlie Whittaker, and mother of our current Rotarian and Membership Chair, Michele Richardson, passed away on November 5th, 2026 at the age of 91. Our fondest thoughts are with the family as we extend our collective memories and gratitude for all the wonderful accomplishments of Charlie and his wife through many years. Margaret's obituary is here.
We are delighted that our Rotary Club of Guelph member, Leanne Caron, will soon take office as the mayor for the City of Guelph. Congratulations, Leanne! As this new chapter gets really busy for you, we look forward to still seeing you whenever possible at Rotary meetings and events.
Be a Secret Santa this Christmas and help our club to help families in need! The Rotary Club of Guelph is once again taking part in the annual Adopt-A-Family program this holiday season. We’re inviting all club members and friends to join us in spreading joy to local families and youth who need a little extra help this Christmas.
On October 29, 2026, the inaugural gala for the local “Top 7 Over 70” awards was hosted by United Way Guelph, Wellington, Dufferin at the Delta Hotel. It was a spectacular event and the first of its kind in Ontario, based on this seniors-award concept started in Calgary in 2019. Of the 7 local winners for 2026, four are Rotarians: Anne Day, Liz Sandals, Charlie Barnes and Jim Rooney. Congratulations to all seven worthy recipients!
Each year, our club honours a student of Indigenous ancestry who contributes and demonstrates leadership qualities in the community and in the promotion of Indigenous histories, and cultural and language revitalization. On Friday, October 30, 2026 we presented this award to Xen-Cassidy Mckenzie.
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Guelph Rotarians showed up at City Hall to raise our flag once again for international “World Polio Day”. The actual date for this annual event is October 24 and we had obtained the closest possible date in Guelph to highlight Rotary's ongoing commitment since 1985 to End Polio Now. Outgoing Mayor Cam Guthrie said this was his last flag-raising event of his term and he was happy to share the occasion with his Rotary friends.
Each year, our sister club, the Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium, runs a winter clothing drive. Here are the details for the 2026 drive.
On September 29, 2026, six of our Rotary club members were recognized for their many years of community service by receiving the Ontario Volunteer Service Award at a ceremony in Milton. We give our congratulations and thanks to Ray Funnell, Elaine Beattie, Ruth Thatcher, Dave Latreille, Jasmine Urisk, and a posthumous award to Walter Stachnyk.
